Husayn ibn Ali

Al -Husayn ibn Ali (. Arabic الحسين بن علي, DMG al -Husayn b ʿ Alī; * in January 626, in Medina, † October 13 680 at Karbala ) was the younger son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatima bint Muhammad, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and therefore a member of the Ahl al -bait.

Husain (also Hussain and Hussein ) is a central figure in the Shia faith. After his brother Hasan 670 death he laid claim to the office of Caliph, but is said to have rejected during his lifetime action against Muawiya I.. 680 he took over the leadership of a revolt in Kufa against the ruling caliph of the Umayyad line, which was however quickly put down. Husain was on 10 October 680 ( Muharram 10, 61 Islamic calendar ) placed in the Battle of Karbala I. by the troops of the Caliph Yazid and killed during the battle. His tomb is located according to Shiite tradition in a mosque in Karbala, the Imam Husayn Shrine. At the point supposedly is buried where his severed head, is in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus a shrine; but there is also a tradition, resting after the main Husayn in Cairo Sayyidna al- Husayn Mosque.

Husain is revered due to his death at the Battle of Karbala of the Imami ( Twelver Shia ) as a martyr; a highlight of this worship are the annual Ashura mourning ceremonies dar. It created numerous stories about him, which concerned about his birth, childhood and death. The world's largest Islamic pilgrimage is the Al- Arba'un ( the 40th day after the death of Husayn ibn Ali ). In 2009, a total of 14.5 million people went to the Al- Arba'un hard to the tomb of Husayn.

From his marriage with the (alleged) Sassanid Princess Shahr Banu, was descended from his son Ali Zain al - Abidin, the fourth Imam of the Shiites.

Today's descendants of Husain are known as Sayyid.